From F-16 to Patriot: Norway supports Romania's defense

Norway supports the purchase of a Patriot system by our country with 127 million dollars, the Ministry of National Defense announced yesterday, through a press release, after the decision-makers in Bucharest decided to donate such a system to Ukraine. The financial support approved by the government in Oslo comes in the context in which, two years ago, our country purchased 32 F-16 aircraft from Norway for the amount of 388 million euros. The announcement regarding Norway's contribution to the purchase of the Patriot system by Romania was made recently at the Meeting of the Council of Nordic States, which is taking place these days in Reykjavik, Iceland, according to the cited source, that contribution being part of the Immediate Action Initiative for Air Defense (Immediate Action on Air Defense), coordinated by Germany. Norwegian support will allow Romania to strengthen its air defense capabilities, contributing directly to the security of NATO's eastern flank and to protecting the Euro-Atlantic space.

The Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, said: "Through this significant contribution, Norway demonstrates not only its firm support for Romania, but also its commitment to allied security. We continue to stand together with Ukraine in these critical moments."

According to Reuters, Patriot is a theater-wide surface-to-air missile defense system built by the American company Raytheon Technologies Corp. It is a mobile system that includes a radar, control station, power generator, launch stations and other support vehicles. The system has different capabilities depending on the type of interceptor used. The PAC-2 interceptor uses an explosive fragmentation warhead, while the newer PAC-3 missile uses more advanced hit-to-kill technology. Patriot has a range of over 150 kilometers. A single Patriot battery costs more than $1 billion, including $400 million for the system and $690 million for related missiles, according to information presented by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. Raytheon has built more than 240 Patriot systems, and they are currently used by 18 countries, including the US. The system has been in high demand in the Middle East because of the threat Iran poses to the region. According to Raytheon, the system has intercepted more than 150 ballistic missiles in different areas of the world since 2015.